


The Adventure of the Wayward Heart

by Ceares



Category: Jonny Quest
Genre: M/M, Yuletide 2013
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 12:44:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1094016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ceares/pseuds/Ceares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Race grinned at him, eyes crinkling and warm and Benton would swear there was a hint of pink across sharp cheekbones.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Adventure of the Wayward Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [amalcolm](https://archiveofourown.org/users/amalcolm/gifts).



> Happiest of Yuletides Amalcolm! I hope this is something of what you were looking for.

Benton waved a final time at the boys, who waved back, crowding each other in the plane window. He’d miss them, but it had been a while since Jonny had spent time with his grandfather and the man had never even met Hadji.

Race dropped his arm as well as the plane slowly began to taxi down the runway. “It’s going to be strange without the boys around.”

Benton nodded. “Yes, but it’s better this way. This expedition is going to be a joint operation between several agencies and the other scientists might not be very understanding about Jonny and Hadji tagging along.”

“Yeah and there’s no way we could convince the boys to stay behind. This way we kill two birds with one stone.”

He glanced over, tone deliberately neutral. “Are you sure you didn’t want to go with them, Race?” 

Race crossed his arms, frowning. “Jonny’s not the only Quest I look out for you know.”

“I know.” And if he still wished Race offered more than just his protection, then that was something he had to deal with, and he wouldn’t let it affect their relationship.

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Benton always enjoyed working with other scientists, and Karen Holmes and Fred Bergmann were brilliant in their fields. Fred brought his assistant along and Benton had Race who’d worked with him on so many projects he might as well _be_ Benton’s official assistant. Even though he missed the boys and their never ending curiosity and enthusiasm, he had to admit it was nice having adult company -- no worrying about bedtimes, hesitating to have that drink with dinner or toning down that salty tale. 

 

All in all, the week was extremely pleasant. Of course it wouldn’t be an adventure for them without something going wrong. The project shouldn’t have been dangerous at all. It was almost ‘make busy’ work, verifying results from previous tests, conducted by other scientists. They weren’t working with anything particularly volatile, or valuable to anybody but a scientific mind, and so they never expected a villain in their midst.

They were completely unprepared when Fred’s assistant, Harold, walked into the lab the morning of what should have been the last working day, gun out.

“Harold! What are you doing?”

“I am sorry about this, Doctor Bergmann. I enjoyed working with you, but you can’t pay me nearly what I’m going to get for the formula of APM.

Benton could feel Race tense beside him, poised for attack and he put a stilling hand on his arm. He always held out hope these things could be resolved without violence. Harold’s eyes flickered their way briefly as he gestured to the four of them.

“All of you move back into the sample room, please.”

They did as ordered, filing slowly into the darkened, windowless room. The low temperature made Benton glad he had his lab coat.

Harold stood at the entrance, and rubbed his hand briefly over the lock. “This will make a nice containment cell for the four of you.”

Benton had to admit he was right. The room was sound proof with a six inch thick metal door, and an electric lock that secured from the outside only. This project might not have been top secret but the facility was used by various agencies, often for more clandestine work

Karen crossed her arms and glared at Harold or whatever his real name was. “Why don’t you just shoot us instead of leaving us here to die slowly? It’d be more merciful.”

“Hey, I’m a thief, not a murderer! All the big brains in this room, you’ll figure out how to get out of here before long. I just need a good head start.”

Fred shook his head and Benton heard more disappointment than anger in his tone. “You won’t get away with this.”

He shoved his glasses up his nose with one hand, the other holding the gun steady. “I’m pretty sure I will.”

“We’ll find you.” Race’s fists were clenched by his side and Benton had a hand knotted in his shirt to keep him from lunging across the room.

“Race Bannon. These eggheads I’m not worried about, but your reputation precedes you.”

There was a quick flash of movement, Harold turned toward Benton, there was a loud roar of noise and then sharp pain.

“Son of a bi...Doctor!”

Benton grabbed his arm, sliding down the wall as his legs collapsed under him. A distant part of his mind was surprised to realize that after all they’d been through, this was actually the first time he’d ever been shot. And it hurt like hell.

Race knelt next him, pulling his hand away, fingers probing the wound gently.

“He’ll be fine, but I figure you’ll be a little too busy to come after me for a while.” Harold backed out, keeping the gun aimed their way until the door slammed shut. 

Fred immediately rushed over and flipped on the light. He began to pry at the door, cursing under his breath. Karen looked uncertainly between he and Race and Fred, and he waved her away. “I’m fine, I’m counting on you two to figure a way out of here.” She smiled and patted him awkwardly on the other shoulder before heading over to Fred. 

Benton had never been more glad Race was with him. Fred and Karen were wonderful in their fields but they spent most of their time in the lab and certainly weren’t used to situations like this. He didn’t know what he’d do without Race -- who had already torn the sleeve of his labcoat open and created a makeshift bandage to slow the bleeding -- but then again, he didn’t know what he’d do without Race at any time. 

 

_Benton knew he was buried in his work, more of the world than in the world sometimes, but he _was_ a scientist and observation was part of his job. He honestly didn’t know how he didn’t see it sooner, but he didn’t. He didn’t know know until they were in Calcutta, deciding what to do about Hadji and he realized that he’d never make the decision without consulting Race. _

_He and Race were a team, the way he and his wife had been a team and it was an easy leap from there to hypothesize that he loved Race and not just as a friend. Benton never thought he’d feel that way again after his wife died and yet somehow, it snuck up on him. He stopped literally mid-word and he was silent for so long that Race frowned, leaning across the table._

_“Doctor, what is it?”_

_“Nothing, it’s not important.” And wasn’t, not at that moment. Benton had lots of time to take apart the idea and put it back together again later. “I think we can work out the details, with Pasha Peddler’s help.”_

_Race grinned then. “For a price, of course. Hadji will make a fine addition to the family.”_

_& &&&&&&&&&_

_Back on Palm Key, Benton did what he did with every puzzle. He took it apart and analyzed it, looked at it back and forth, twisted the pieces around. Any way he turned it, he came to the same conclusion._

_Benton wasn’t young, nor was he naive. He’d been around the world, to places most people didn’t even know existed and he knew a lot of those people would have a lot of things to say about something like that. They’d say it was wrong or evil, but Benton knew what evil looked like and he knew what love looked like, and they weren’t even close._

_He’d never cared what people had to say and he wasn’t about to start now. The only feelings that mattered were Race’s, and Benton was sure Race _didn’t_ feel that way about him. So he was happy to settle for companionship and friendship, happy to share the burdens and pleasures of the boys, happy to go on life's adventures with Race and whenever he wished things were different, he reminded himself of how easy it was to lose what you already had reaching out for more._

 

Benton was happier than ever that he hadn’t brought the boys along. He hated having them in danger but he also hated them to see him hurt. It just brought home how alone they were. If something happened to him, there was just Race. Sure there was Doug but Jonny barely knew him and Benton didn’t know if he would be willing to take Hadji in any case. No, it would have to be Race, only...

“Doing okay, Doctor?” 

Benton looked up into worried eyes and realized that legally, Race was nothing to them. As far as the world was concerned he was just an employee, instead of the friend and guardian he was. Technically, he could be reassigned at any time but Intelligence One had _given_ him to Benton and to Jonny and the four of them were a family now. They’d even talked about leaving government work one day -- together. He’d just never considered how it could all fall apart. Race was always there, solid and sure, except, no, not always. 

 

_Race was acting strangely but Benton put it down to the late hour. He knew no matter how tired he was, Race would stay up to help him if he thought it was necessary. “That’ll be all, Race. I won’t need you anymore tonight.”_

_Race’s mouth quirked into a smile that was almost a smirk and he came closer instead of heading to his room. “Really? You can’t think of _anything_ I could help you with, Doctor?”  
Race leaned over him, with a hand braced on the desk, the other sliding down Benton’s arm._

_Benton shivered, not sure whether to lean in or pull away. In the end, he kept perfectly still. He didn’t know what the heck was going on with Race, but he knew it couldn’t be what he wished. “Race, what are you doing? You’re not behaving like yourself.”_

_He jerked back at that, frowning. “Sorry, Doctor.”_

_Benton heard him mumbling something under his breath -- something about ‘could have sworn’-- but he left before Benton heard any more. Benton shook his head, wondering if there was something in the water out there, and went back to work._

_& &&&&&&&&&_

_Benton watched as Race and Jade kissed, fists clenched, nails digging into his palms, the sharp sting enough to stifle the instinctive protest trying to claw it’s way out of his throat. It wasn’t like he didn’t _know_. When ‘Race’ touched him, a part of him knew something wasn’t right, but he’d thought he was coloring everything with his own desires and so he’d ignored the klaxons of warning going off in his head. Jade had been the one to sense the truth, she’d been the one to rescue Race and she was the one in his arms now, as it should be._

_Jade looked across at him, her dark eyes unfathomable, before she quirked her mouth in a half smile, turned and entered her helicopter._

 

Benton knew despite being a genius, things slipped past him, and Race was always there to pick up the slack. He’d taken Race for granted, despite being shown how easily that he -- they, could lose him. Benton needed to stop doing that. He needed to do something definite to protect his family and to show Race how much he meant to them. As soon as they got out of this and back home, he’d contact his lawyer, see what their options were. But for now.

“Race.” He squeezed the arm propping him up. Race looked down at him, worry and affection warring in green eyes.

“Yes, Doctor?”

“Promise me you’ll stay in the boys’ life if I don’t make it out of here.”

“The boys are my family, you know that. I’ll always be around for them. I don’t need to promise anything though, because we’re going to get out of this just fine. We’ve been up against it plenty, and some two-bit thief isn’t going to be the end of it.”

Benton was shivering and he knew shock was setting in. Race frowned and pulled off his own jacket, draping it over Benton. It was warm from his body and carried his scent, and considering his condition, Benton thought he could be forgiven for snuggling into it, his eyes drifting closed as he remembered the feel of the real thing, Race’s arms around him. 

 

_Benton finished buttoning his pajamas and sat on the edge of the other bed, as Race finished his thoughts about the Baron._

_“Of course maybe I’ll be a weirdo too, when I get his age, with no family and nothing but memories to sustain me.”_

_Benton kept his laugh light, not wanting Race to see how much the idea bothered him. “Don’t be silly, Race. The boys and I, we’re your family.”_

_Race sat up, shifting to the edge of the bed until they were across from each other, knees bumping. “Are you? Jade said...”_

_He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “Ah hell, feel free to punch me, Benton.”_

_Benton was still processing the sound of his first name coming from Race’s lips when they were suddenly covering his, and oh, it was nothing like he’d imagined -- it was so much more. Race’s mouth was sure, firm, soft and so hot as Benton opened to it._

_He moaned, his hands coming up to clutch at Race’s arms, solid, through the cool cotton of his pajamas. He remembered where they were and pulled away reluctantly._

_“Race, wait. Not here.”_

_Race ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath. “Right.”_

_They both settled, regretfully, into their separate beds, and Benton fought down the urge to throw caution and common sense to the wind and cross the short distance between them. He tried to focus on something else._

_You said Jade said something to you?”_

_Race nodded. “I told her she was crazy. She doesn’t need to know a thing like, even if it’s true. It could ruin you, but I hoped, you know.”_

_Benton hadn’t even dared that much. He sighed. “We need to get out of here.”_

_“Yeah. We’ll finish this we get home?”_

_Benton smiled and nodded. “Home.”_

_& &&&&&&&&&_

_Benton knew even when they got home though, they had to be careful around people, around the boys. Nobody could know anything was different between them. He knew that Race using his first name instead of the regular ‘Doctor’ was something that couldn’t go on, but he still melted a little at the sound of his name on Race’s lips as he got ready to take off the next morning._

_Only it turned out their host was insane. The Baron wanted one last kill and for a while Benton thought they were going to lose Race right there in the sky._

_They’d barely made it back home before Intelligence One called them out on another project. Benton waited for Race to say something about what had happened that night, but other than a couple of searching looks, it was like they’d never kissed._

_As time passed and things between them were exactly as they always had been, sometimes Benton could almost believe he’d imagined it. He swallowed down his disappointment, told himself there hadn’t really been anything lost, and threw himself into the latest experiment_

__

Benton opened his eyes when he felt Race shift beside him. 

“We’ve got to get you out of here.” 

Long, strong fingers brushed gently over his forehead before Race stood up. Benton resisted the desire to call him back. He knew Race was right. He was still losing blood fairly quickly and time was of the essence. 

“Any luck over there?” 

Fred and Karen were almost a blur to him now as they looked over and Benton shook his head, trying to stay alert and focused in case they needed him.

Fred shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, but this lock is impossible.”

“Let me take a look.”

“I can assure you Mr.Bannon, there is no way to get the lock open from in here.” 

“Not from in here, sure but from the other side.” 

“What do you mean?”

Benton watched as Race cleared one of the shelves, then lowered it to the ground and snapped off a piece to make a metal rod. 

“The security guys always make the doors extra thick.” He jabbed hard at the wall next to the door jam and a large chunk of plaster flew to the ground. “Thing is, they usually forget about the walls.”

Benton was still shivering but soon he was covered by both Karen and Fred’s lab coats as well, as the three of them worked up a sweat, taking turns on the chiseling. Benton had no idea how long it actually took them since he was fading in and out of consciousness. He would come to and see them hard at work and then it seemed as if he blinked and Race was leaning over him, checking on him, worried frown on his face. Benton tried to reassure him but he didn’t know if he actually spoke before he was out again. 

The next thing he remembered was waking up in the hospital with Race reading in the chair next to him. He felt as woozy as he had in the sample room, but was gloriously without pain. 

“Race?” It came out low and scratchy but Race looked up at the sound. He tossed his book aside and came to the bed. 

“Doctor! Benton. You’re awake. How do you feel?”

“Fine.” Which technically wasn’t a lie. What ever pain medicine they had given him was working handily. “Is everybody okay?”

“Right as rain. Dr. Bergmann has already spoken with Intelligence One and given them all the information he has on Harold. They’ll hunt him down.” He looked very satisfied as he said it. They don’t appreciate you getting injured. And neither do I.” 

Benton met his eyes and saw something there he thought he’d lost the chance at. “Race...”

“Ah! Doctor Quest, I see you’re awake.” 

They both looked up as the door opened and a man, who Benton presumed was his doctor, entered. 

“How are you doing?”

“You tell me, Doctor.” 

The doctor smiled. “I’d say you’re doing pretty well, thanks to Mr. Bannon here, getting you to us as soon as possible. There was no vascular or bone damage and thanks to the tourniquet, blood loss was kept manageable. You’re a very lucky man, Dr. Quest.”

Benton looked over at Race again and found emerald eyes focused intently on him. “I’d say so.” 

“We’ll let you go home in a couple of days, but you’ll need someone to help you out for a while considering where the wound is. I don’t want you pulling out those stitches.” 

“Don’t worry. I’ve got it taken care of, Doctor.” 

The doctor nodded, smiling at both of them. “ I assumed as much, Mr. Bannon.” 

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Race helped him out of the helicopter and Benton couldn’t help but sigh with relief, glad to be home. 

Race grabbed their bags and followed him toward the house. “I’ve already spoken with the boys and Doug. He’s happy to keep them for a few more weeks to give you a chance to heal without their ‘help’. 

“Race...” 

Race held up a hand. “If you’re going to say I don’t have to do this, or you can get someone in to help or anything like that, stop right now.”

“No, actually I was going to say, thank you for being here. For always being here.” 

“Where else would I be?” 

Benton shook his head, not able to put into words what he wanted to say. Race stepped close to him, one hand resting on his Benton’s good arm. 

“I’m going to try this again. In light of your condition, I won’t say punch me this time.” 

He caught his breath as Race leaned in. The kiss this time was softer, barely more than a brush of lips against his, but just as powerful -- the rebirth of hope. He didn’t know what had happened, maybe Race had been waiting for him to say something, maybe he’d changed his mind and changed it again after Benton had been shot. He didn’t know and for once, he was content not to know the answers. All that mattered was now, this. 

“I’m afraid we’ve both been very stupid men.” He was smiling even as he said it and Race smiled back, eyes glowing.

“Yeah, looks like.” Race wrapped his arms around Benton,carefully, mindful of his shoulder and pulled him in close. “No time like the present to correct that.”

 

&&&&&&&&&&

 

Jonny and Hadji practically flew down the steps of the plane running straight at him, with Bandit right behind. Benton braced himself for impact but they both pulled up right before they collided with him, and then he had both of his boys wrapped around him, squeezing like they never wanted to let go. 

He heard Jonny sniffle into his side and he looked at Race helplessly. Race was always better at dealing with the boys emotions than he was, but the look he was getting said this was all on him this time. He raised a hand, running fingers soothingly through Jonny and then Hadji’s hair.

“Boys, it’s okay.”

“We were so scared, Dad.”

“Yes, Dr. Quest. We did not know if you were truly alright or not.”

“I’m fine, I promise. Race took good care of me.” Race grinned at him, eyes crinkling and warm and Benton would swear there was a hint of pink across sharp cheekbones.

The boys leaned against him, smiling over at Race.

“That is okay, then. Race is the best.”

“Yeah, but don’t you dare get shot again!”

There was a sharp bark of agreement from Bandit, and they all laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to F for betaing this for me. Any remaining mistakes are all my own. 
> 
> I took a little liberty with the time line for at least one item in here but I figure in JQ's world with all their nifty gadgets, some things might have existed a little sooner.


End file.
